Boeing has started assembling the sixth and last airframe for the 787 flight test programme and now has 25 more in various stages of production.

The sixth flight test aircraft, named ZA006, is the second and final flight test airframe powered by the General Electric GEnx-1B engine. The other four are powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000.

Boeing confirms that production work is continuing on ZA003, ZA004 and ZA005, with ZA001 having entered the paint shop earlier this week and ZA002 initiated power-on in late February.

Boeing's latest 787 programme schedule calls for completing first flight in the second quarter and first delivery in the first quarter of 2010.

Boeing 787 ZA006
 © Ed Turner/Boeing

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news